Fastener driving tool

ABSTRACT

There is provided a fastener driving tool for automatically feeding a component such as a clip and fastening the same in position by driving a fastener therethrough into a workpiece. The tool includes a housing having structure defining a drive track with a fastener driving member movable through the drive track. A magazine assembly is provided having first guide means for supplying clips to the guide track, and having second guide means for supplying fasteners to said guide track whereby operation of the fastener driving member through a drive stroke is effective to drive a fastener through the component and into a workpiece.

iinited States Patent [191 Wandel et al.

[ FASTENER DRIVING TOOL [75] Inventors: Oscar A. Wandel, Mundelein;

Thomas H. Dorney, Wood Dale, both of I11 [73] Assignee: FastenerCorporation, Franklin Park, 111.

[22] Filed: Nov. 20, 1968 [21] Appl. No.: 777,262

[52] US. Cl. 227/8, 227/120 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,056,137 10/1962Wandel et a1 227/127 .iune 26, 1973 2/1969 Pabich etal. .f. ..24/2218/1965 Roosa ..227/8 [57] ABSTRACT There is provided a fastener drivingtool for automatically feeding a component such as a clip and fasteningthe same in position by driving a fastener therethrough into aworkpiece. The tool includes a housing having structure defining a drivetrack with a fastener driving member movable through the drive track. Amagazine assembly is provided having first guide means for supplyingclips to the guide track, and having second guide means for supplyingfasteners to said guide track whereby operation of the fastener drivingmember through a drive stroke is effective to drive a fastener throughthe component and into a workpiece.

2 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures FIG.|

lNvlsN'mksf 38b OSCAR A. WANDEL THOMAS H. DORNEY BY: s 5

PAIENTEDJUIIZG 8973 3.741.455

SHEET 3 BF 4 F|G.6 I

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INVEN'I'ORS' OSCAR A. WANDEL THOMAS H. DORNEY BY; W077 fiww %4 ATT'YSFASTENER DRIVING TOOL This invention relates to a fastener drivingapparatus, and, more particularly to a fastener driving tool of the typefor fastening components such as clips into place.

More specifically there is frequently a need for fastening smallcomponents such as clips to a workpiece. One such application involvessecuring generally T- shaped clips into the back of a television cabinetcooperable with key type slots formed in the edge of the cabinet back toprovide for ready removal of the cabinet back for servicing and thelike. Thus it becomes desirable to automatically feed the smallcomponents and to simultaneously fasten them into position by driving afastener to the component.

Accordingly one object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved fastener driving tool which will automatically feed smallcomponents and simultaneously secure them in place by driving a fastenertherethrough.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved fastener driving tool.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new andimprovedfastener driving tool which will automatically feed a strip ofplastic clips and simultaneously fasten them into position in aworkpiece by driving a brad through the center thereof.

In accordance with these and many other objects, an embodiment of theinvention comprises a fastener driving tool having an improved magazineassembly according to the present invention. The fastener driving toolmay be of any suitable type, such as the pneumatically actuated fastenerdriving tool disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,056,137 granted Oct. 2, 1962to 0.A. Wandel et al. As therein disclosed, the pneumatically actuatedfastener driving tool is provided with a main housing defining both ahollow forward or head portion and a handle portion extending rearwardlyfrom the head portion. The hollow head portion includes means defining apower cylinder in which a piston secured to a driver blade or member isslideably mounted. The

lower end of the driver blade is slideably mounted in a' drive track towhich the components and fasteners are supplied. A control valve iscarried on the housing selectively shifting the open end of the cylinderinto and out of engagement with a valve means so that compressed airfrom a reservoir is selectively admitted and exhausted from thecylinder'for driving the piston and driver blade downwardly andpermitting return of the same. The fastener driving tool is providedwith a safety switch which prevents firing of the tool through a workstroke unless the tool is in engagement with a workpiece. To this endthe safety switch is actuated by a member engageable with a workpieceand depressed to condition the tool to fire through a drive stroke.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a magazineassembly with the fastener driving tool having a first guide means forsupplying components, such as strips of clips, to the guide track of thetool, and having a second guide means for supplying fasteners such asbrads to the drive track intermediate the components and the fastenerdriving device. Operation of the fastener driving tool through a drivestroke is effective to bring the fastener driving member into drivingengagement with the brad, driving the brad through the clip and into theworkpiece.

Many other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from considering the following detailed description inconnection with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the improved fastener driving tool;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a clip as driven by the fastener FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the clip of FIG. 3, illustrated in an unlockedposition;

FIG. 4 is a view of one type of fastener which may be used in thefastener driving tool of the present invention;

FIG 5 is an enlarged view of the nose piece and drive track of thefastener driving tool of FIG. 1, in broken away section, illustrated inits normal position, and shown in phantom in position ready to drive aclip;

FIG. 6 is a broken away section of the nose piece of the fastenerdriving tool, illustrated with the clip supply exhausted;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view illustrating the slot formed in the edge ofthe panel, along with the tool aligning pm;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 88 in FIG. 5 illustratingthe fastener and component magazines;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 but illustrating the fasteners andcomponents in the two magazine assemblies;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the componentstrip and pusher from the component magazine shown in relation to asafety assembly containing a component shearing edge; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of the fastener shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. ll thereof,there is illustrated a fastener driving tool 10 for automaticallyfeeding a component and fastening the same in position by driving afastener therethrough in accordance with the present invention. In theillustrated embodiment the fastener driving tool 10 is of thepneumatically actuated type, generally of the type illustrated'in thepreviously mentioned Wandel et al. patent. As therein disclosed, thefastener driving tool 10 includes a housing 12 having a verticallyextended head or forward portion 14 and a hollow handle portion 16extending rearwardly from-the head portion 14. The handle portion 16defines a fluid reservoir for compressed air or other operating fluidand adapted to be connected to a suitable source of compressed airthrough a suitable coupling 1%. The head portion 14 contains fastenerdriving mechanism including a drive piston and drive member 24, andunder the combined control of a hand trigger 20 and work engaging safetytrigger 22 as more fully described in the above mentioned Wandel et al.patent. The fastener driving member 24 is movable through a drive track26 defined in a nose piece 28 of the fastener driving tool through adrive and return stroke.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the components fed and fastened by the fastenerdriving tool. The components are intended to provide a rotatable lockbetween a removable panel 30 and support piece 32. To this end, the removable panel 30 is provided with one or more keyhole shaped slots 34 inits edge overlying the support piece 32. A support clip 36 is secured tothe support piece 32 by a suitable fastener, here shown as a wire brad33. As

best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the clip 36 may be of plastic orother suitable material and may include a pair of projecting keys 36afrom a generally cylindrical support 36b. The clip 36 is provided with acounterbored opening 40, FIG. 5, pivotally receiving one of the brads38. Each of the brads 38 includes a shank 38a loosely receivable withinthe opening 40, and an enlarged head 38b receivable within the enlargedcounterbored portion 40a of the opening 40. In the illustratedembodiment of brad, as best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 11, the head 38bis of generally T-shape, being somewhat longer than the diameter of theshank 380. Thus the clip 36 will readily pivot from its locked position,as illustrated in FIG. 2, provided by the fastener driving tool 10, toits unlocked position as illustrated in FIG. 3.

To feed the clips 36 and brads 38 into the drive track 26 of thefastener driving tool 10, there is provided a magazine assembly 42having a first guide means in the form of spaced apart tracks 44, onlyone of which is illustrated in FIG. 5, loosely supporting the shanks ofthe brads secured in a strip 46, and supporting the heads 38b thereof(FIG. 9). A spring biased follower 48 (FIGS. 8 and 9) advances the bradsinto the drive track 26. As is common in the fastener driving art, theindividual brads 38 in the strip 46 are secured together, but arereadily severed by the movement of the drive member 24 through a drivestroke. A second guide means is in the form of spaced apart guide tracks50 (FIGS. 8 and 9) defining opposed grooves receiving the projections36a on a strip 52 of the clips 36. A spring biased follower 54 (FIGS.8-10) biases the strip 52 forward so that one of the clips 36 is in thedrive track 26 of the fastener driving tool 10. The individual clips 36on the strip 52 are secured together to provide a unitary strip, but arereadily separated.

In the illustrated embodiment, the driving of a fastener is under thecombined control of the manual trigger 20 and the safety trigger 22. Thesafety trigger 22 includes a work engaging surface 56 which, in thereleased position illustrated in FIG. 5, renders the fastener drivingtool inoperative to cycle through a drive stroke. However, upondepression of the work engaging surface 56, to the position illustratedin phantom in FIG. 5, the fastener driving tool 10 is set so thatsubsequent depression of the manual trigger will fire the tool and drivea brad 38 through a clip 36 and into the support piece 32. Moreover, thesafety trigger 22 in the illustrated device is provided with an inwardlyprojecting shear 58 which, in the position illustrated in phantom,serves to sever the end one of the clips 36 from the remainder of theclip strip 52. More specifically, initial downward deflection of the endone of the clips 36 in the drive track will bring the frangible portioninterconnecting it with the succeeding clip of the strip into engagementwith the point of the shear, severing it from the strip.

As a further safety device to prevent firing of the fastener drivingtool when the clip strip 52 has been exhausted, the clip strip follower54 is provided with a lower projecting portion 60 which, as illustratedin FIG. 6, interferes with the shear 58 to prevent depression of thework engaging surface 56 in the absence of a clip within the magazineassembly 42.

6 To provide for properly positioning of the clip 36 within the keyholeslot 34 of the removable panel, the lower work engaging surface 56 hasprojecting therefrom a guide or pin 62 seatable within the bottom of thelower portion 34a of a slot 34, as illustrated in FIG. 7, to locate thepositioning of the tool 10 with respect to a particular slot 34.

From the above description the operation of the improved clip fasteningdevice is believed clear. However, briefly, it will be understood thatthe fastener driving tool is provided with two guides in the magazinethereof. A first guide 50 provides for advancing the clips 36 to thedrive track of the tool. A second guide 44 provides for supplying bradsor fasteners to the drive track of the fastener driving tool. Thefastener driving too] can be fired through a drive stroke by thesimultaneous depression of the manual trigger 20 and safety trigger 22.Moreover, depression of the safety trigger 22 through the work engagingsurface 56 is effective to drive a shear 58 upwardly to sever theforward one of the clips 36 from the clip strip. Firing of the tool iseffective to move the drive member 24 downwardly whereby it will engagea brad, and drive the brad through the opening 40 of the clip 36,securing the brad into the work member.

Although the present invention has been described by reference to asingle embodiment thereof, it will be understood that numerous otherembodiments and modifications may be devised by those skilled in the artand it is intended by the appended claims to cover all suchmodifications and embodiments that come within the true spirit and scopeof the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofThe United States is:

l. A fastener driving too] for automatically feeding a component andfastening the same in position by driving a fastener therethrough into aworkpiece, said tool comprising:

a housing including structure defining a drive track and a fastenerdriving member movable through said drive track and operable through adrive stroke,

a first magazine assembly for supplying successive components from anintegral component strip to said guide track,

a second magazine assembly for supplying fasteners to said drive trackintermediate said first magazine assembly and said fastener drivingdevice,

a safety assembly movable to a given position by engagement with aworkpiece to permit operation of the tool,

and a pusher in said first magazine engageable with said strip toadvance said components, said pusher extending into the path of movementof the safety assembly when the number of components in the magazine isreduced to a given point to prevent movement of the safety assembly tosaid given position to prevent firing of said tool,

said safety assembly including a shear means movable adjacent thecomponents when the safety assembly is moved to said given position tosever the component in the drive track from the strip of components,said shear means engaging the pusher when the supply of components inthe magazine is exhausted to prevent movement of the safety assembly tothe given position.

2. A fastener driving tool for automatically feeding a component andfastening the same in position by driving a fastener therethrough into aworkpiece, said tool comprising:

said strip to advance said components, said pusher extending into thepath of movement of the safety assembly when the number of components inthe magazine is reduced to a given point to prevent movement of saidsafety assembly to said given position to prevent firing of said tool,

said first magazine assembly including a housing with a slot in a lowerwall in which a portion of the pusher slides, said portion of the pusherbeing disposed to engage the safety assembly to block movement of thesafety assembly to said given position when the supply of components isdepleted.

1. A fastener driving tool for automatically feeding a component andfastening the same in position by driving a fastener therethrough into aworkpiece, said tool comprising: a housing including structure defininga drive track and a fastener driving member movable through said drivetrack and operable through a drive stroke, a first magazine assembly forsupplying successive components from an integral component strip to saidguide track, a second magazine assembly for supplying fasteners to saiddrive track intermediate said first magazine assembly and said fastenerdriving device, a safety assembly movable to a given position byengagement with a workpiece to permit operation of the tool, and apusher in said first magazine engageable with said strip to advance saidcomponents, said pusher extending into the path of movement of thesafety assembly when the number of components in the magazine is reducedto a given point to prevent movement of the safety assembly to saidgiven position to prevent firing of said tool, said safety assemblyincluding a shear means movable adjacent the components when the safetyassembly is moved to said given position to sever the component in thedrive track from the strip of components, said shear means engaging thepusher when the supply of components in the magazine is exhausted toprevent movement of the safety assembly to the given position.
 2. Afastener driving tool for automatically feeding a component andfastening the same in position by driving a fastener therethrough into aworkpiece, said tool comprising: a housing including structure defininga drive track and a fastener driving member movable through said drivetrack and operable through a drive stroke, a first magazine assembly forsupplying successive components from an integral component strip to saidguide track, a second magazine assembly for supplying fasteners to saiddrive track intermediate said first magazine assembly and said fastenerdriving device, a safety assembly movable to a given position byengagement with a workpiece to permit operation of the tool, and apusher in said first magazine engageable with said strip to advance saidcomponents, said pusher extending into the path of movement of thesafety assembly when the number of components in the magazine is reducedto a given point to prevent movement of said safety assembly to saidgiven position to prevent firing of said tool, said first magazineassembly including a housing with a slot in a lower wall in which aportion of the pusher slides, said portion of the pusher being disposedto engage the safety assembly to block movement of the safety assemblyto said given position when the supply of components is depleted.